Are Bright Auto Headlights Only For The Wealthy?
BY DR. LOUIS ALPERT
Ombudsman
On June 22, 2017, Ombudsman Alert published Part 1 of the article bearing the above title, citing safety experts who claimed that poor illumination given by the then current auto headlights was responsible for increasing the number of highway deaths, especially among pedestrians!
If we fast forward 18 months to December, 2018, the “Insurance Institute For Highway Safety”(IIHS) reports that “headlights have improved in the past few years but that most automakers make you pay more to get these improved headlights by keeping them as extra-cost options, part of expensive options packages, or including them only in higher trim models.”
According to David Aylor, Manager of Active Safety Testing at IIHS:
“Consumers shouldn’t have to buy a fully-loaded vehicle to get the headlights they need to safely drive at night. All vehicles should come with good headlights.” The Institute goes on to report that “about half of all fatal crashes in the U.S. occur in the dark, and more than a quarter occur on unlit roads. Good headlights are essential to spot pedestrians, bikes, deer and other hazards.”
The Ombudsman Alert again calls upon all of our elected ofiicials:
NY State Senator David Carlucci, NY Assembly members Ellen Jaffee and Ken Zebrowski, as well as US Congresswoman Nita Lowey to consider filing legislation both at the state and federal levels to ensure that all new autos sold in the U.S. are equipped with good headlights!
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